Starting Over
by Carbo4ever
Summary: Title says it all, a story about picking up the pieces and starting over. Rated M to be safe as I am not really sure where I am going to take this later.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: First NBC and CBS own the characters, However what I do with them will be my own. They do not have anything to do with any real, live, actual people. I am also not a professional writer. I am open to comments and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Because I never liked the writing for Bo and Carly (2.0), I will try to fix what those inept morons from the DOOL writer's room screwed up. I am a bit rusty, so sorry about that. This a mixed story, using Bo and Carly, Olivia Spencer and a few other characters from Guiding Light, and the cast of Law and Order: SVU (but mostly Olivia Benson). I have never written the GL or SVU characters so I hope I do them justice. Enjoy.**

Prelude

September 22, 2011

Carly turned and took one last look at the few people who had come to say goodbye. Melanie and Jennifer were crying and waving while Daniel stood stoically next to them, his arm around the two women.

"Mom?"

Carly looked at the young man standing next to her and smiled even though her heart broke just a little more, thinking of the one person she wished was there.

"Are you ready to go?" Nicholas asked in his quiet baritone. He was worried she would change her mind.

"Yes, honey. I'm ready." Carly answered.

They both turned again and waved one last time at their farewell party before walking away arm in arm to board the Alamain jet, headed to Europe.

Bo stood behind the large board announcing the arrivals and departures of the various airlines and watched quietly as Carly walked out of his life once again, knowing this time she would never come back.

"Goodbye Princess." He whispered sadly, wiping away the stray tear that had fallen.

He saw the small group that had come to say goodbye to Carly heading his way and quickly shrank back into the shadows. The last thing he needed on the heels of Carly leaving was his family or Hope knowing he had been here. They would be all over him wanting to know why he felt the need to see Carly off. He was surprised they hadn't been here themselves, just to make sure she actually got on the plane and left town.

Shaking his head and burying his true feelings, Bo left the airport and headed back to his wife.

*OK so further thoughts, I'm changing how the writer's did things. I honestly don't know what happened after Carly left Salem (I don't know much about the last few months of her in Salem as I couldn't watch that drivel anymore, even for CC and PR) so I am making it up. *


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

January 3, 2012 – Salem, USA

Bo closed the top of his suitcase, then picked it up and turned around to see Hope watching him. Her face betrayed no emotion and she made no move to stop him. He had finally had enough. This time it was him leaving.

"What are you going to tell Ciara?" Hope said, her tone flat.

"I'm going to tell her the truth, Hope."

"And just what truth is that? Are you going to tell her that you're walking out on your family, again!"

"Dammit, Hope, stop it!"

"Stop what?" came her cold reply.

"Stop playing the victim, like you always do."

"I, do not."

"Yes, you do. I have never walked out on my family, or spouse. I'm the only one in this room who can say that."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that for years, whenever things got rough, or you didn't get your way, you would walk out. Well, this time, it's my turn. I'm tired of being the one who always has to bend, and give so that you can be happy. I'm going to make myself happy for once."

"You're going to go to Carly aren't you!" Hope accused angrily.

"No, I'm not. Not because I don't want to, because believe me, I really want to. But I don't know where she is, and since Melanie detests me for what happened with me and Carly, I have no way to find her."

"I knew you still wanted that whore."

Bo's eyes flashed dangerously causing Hope to step back in surprise.

"Hope, you better be glad that my Pop taught me that it was never right to hit women, but I swear if you ever say anything derogatory about Carly again you will regret it."

"What are going to do, Bo?" Hope tried to keep her voice even, but she could feel a little tingle of fear creeping up.

"You keep saying snide, mean and untrue things about Carly and I will sue you for sole custody of Ciara, and trust me, with your track record I will win."

"You wouldn't!" Hope exclaimed, appalled at what Bo had just said.

"I will, if that's what it takes."

"You would deprive her of a mother?" Hope's eyes welled with tears.

"I don't want to do that,Hope. But I also don't want her growing up around such negativity and thinking that it's OK to say rude and mean things about people she doesn't like. I will not raise a bully or a brat."

"Neither will I!"

"Well then you need to set a better example for her. Starting with how you handle this situation."

"So, you're going to leave it to me to tell our daughter that you are leaving."

"No, Hope, I know better than to do that. I will tell her myself. I just meant that you can set the example by not talking bad about me, or putting the blame on absent people, who have nothing to do with it."

"What are you going to tell her?"

"I'll tell her that neither of her parents have been happy together in a long time and that it is best for all three of us if we live apart. She's a smart kid, she'll understand."

"Do you really think so, Brady? Do you really think she will understand her father leaving?"  
"She will, and if she doesn't then we will help her through it." Bo said firmly.

"Will we?" Hope's grating voice said coolly.

"Yes," Bo replied firmly, "WE will." Bo saw Hope open her mouth to say something and spoke before she could, overriding her attempt. "If you don't wish to help me make this transition easier for Ciara, then our child will become MY daughter and I will do it myself." Hope's jaw dropped in horror. "I meant it when I said I will not let her grow up to be a brat and a bully."

Bo's jaw was set and his tone unyielding. Hope knew if she argued Bo would take Ciara, so she just gave a clipped nod of acceptance, turned and left the room. Bo quickly finished packing his other suitcase and left the house, heading to the Salem inn until he could figure out what he was going to do next.


	3. Chapter 2

May 2, 2012 – London, England

Bo surveyed his surroundings as he steered the sailboat up the river leading to Britain's largest city. The skyline came into view as he veered smoothly around the corner, his dark brown eyes searching for a place to drop anchor. He had filed for divorce the day after leaving Hope. To say his family was unhappy was an understatement. He had to deal with his family, particularly his mother and sister, lecturing him about leaving his wife and how he should go back and ask for forgiveness. No one had cared about what he wanted or how he felt, they only thought of Hope's needs and feelings. Finally he couldn't stand it anymore and as soon as he received the finalized papers stating he was now single, he retired from the police force, said goodbye to his family, and began his second trip around the world on his new boat. This boat was an almost exact duplicate of the _Fancy Face_ , except with the most up to date technologies and equipment. Thanks to the fact that the new electronics, appliances and instruments were smaller than ever, taking up less room, the boat had a more spacious feel.

Bo spotted a marina on the bank and headed towards it, hoping to find an open slip. As he drew near the docks he noticed an open spot next to a yacht that was docked at the very edge of the marina. Bo saw a man on the dock pointing to the empty slip, indicating that he should pull in there to dock. Slowly and carefully, Bo steered his way through the buoys and pulled alongside the yacht. Once the boat was stationary, Bo quickly threw a line to the man who had signaled him in. The man caught the rope and began to secure the boat to the dock. Bo jumped off to help him, tying the other line down with expert precision.

"Hello, lad." said the man who had been standing on the dock. Bo wasn't shocked to hear an accent, but was slightly surprised that the accent wasn't English, but Irish. "Welcome to London. I'm Charles Rogers, the harbormaster."

"Bo Brady." Bo said giving the harbor-master's hand a firm shake.

"Brady, is it. A good Irish name."

Bo grinned. "My pop was born in Ireland."

"Well laddie, we're family already. So down to business. How long will ye be staying with us?"

"Just tonight. I need to restock my supplies, then in the morning I'm off to find a new port. Maybe someplace I've never been."

"I'll put you down for tonight then. The cost of one night for a boat the size of yours is

£15." Mr. Rogers looked at Bo expectantly.

Bo thought a moment before asking, "How much is that in American dollars?"

Mr. Rogers looked at a conversion chart on his clipboard, then said, "About Twenty-five American Dollars."

Bo pulled out his wallet and handed the harbormaster the amount to cover his docking fees. He then turned his attention to the yacht and spoke, "She's a beauty."

"That she is lad, that she is. We don't usually get ships like this one but it's a treat when one does decide to dock with us."

Bo noticed the flurry of activity surrounding the larger vessel. "Looks like she's getting ready to set sail."

"Aye," Mr. Rogers replied. "The crew has been scurrying around for the last couple of days trying to get her ready to go. Sailing to New York, I think they said."

"Oh, really. Never spent much time there myself." Bo said quietly, remembering a short trip he had taken to New York with Carly.

"Nor have I. I like my own large city, right here."

Bo notice the name painted on the stern of the yacht. _Prinzessin._ "The name, does that mean what I think it means?"

The harbormaster looked at the larger ships name, then replied, "I think it is German for Princess." He looked at Bo curiously. "Is that important?"

"No," Bo said shaking his head slowly. "Just a coincidence I guess."

The harbormaster also looked at the name of the boat and shrugged thinking to himself that there were probably hundreds of boat called princess in many languages. "Aye, I'm sure it is just a coincidence. The young Mr. Alamain told me his mother named the ship."

Bo's head whipped around to stare at the Irishman. "Alamain? As in Nicholas Alamain?"

Mr. Rogers nodded, taken aback by Bo's reaction to the Alamain name. "Aye, he owns her." He suddenly took on a suspicious look. "Why?"

"It's nothing," Bo said shaking his head and looking back at the yacht. "Just never thought I would hear that name again."

Mr. Rogers noticed a sadness settle over Bo's features. "You know Mr Alamain?"

Bo looked up to notice the other man watching him closely. "I did, when he was a little boy. His mother was a good friend of mine. She was my best friend."

The man looked at Bo closely, noting the tone of his voice and the expression on his face as he gazed wistfully at the yacht. _'She was more than just a friend to ya, laddie.'_ Mr. Rogers thought shrewdly, but he kept that opinion to himself.

Bo broke out of his contemplative silence, "Where can I stock up on some supplies around here?" He had to think about something else other than Carly.

Mr. Roberts directed him towards a marketplace a few blocks away, shaking his head as Bo walked away.

***Meanwhile on the Prinzessin ***

Melanie had been looking out of the window of the comfortable sitting room of the yacht, watching the hustle and bustle of the crew getting ready to depart, when a smaller boat sailed slowly into the slip next to where they were docked. In horror she watched as Bo Brady and the harbormaster secured the smaller craft and began talking. She saw Bo direct his attention to the very vessel she was on. After a few minutes of conversation with the other man, Bo walked away with his head down slightly and a distinct slump of his shoulders. Melanie briefly wondered about the change to Bo's demeanor but shook it off as she turned to go find her brother.

As she wandered about looking for Nicholas, Melanie thought about Bo. She had heard that he had left Hope and filed for divorce. She left Salem shortly after, to join her mother and brother in Europe, never believing for a second that Bo meant it or that he and Hope would ever be completely over. She had seen first-hand that Bo would always run back to Hope whenever she played the victim and "needed" him. So she was surprised to see Bo getting off a sailboat in London, alone. Melanie was so deep in her thoughts she didn't see Nicholas and walked right into him.

"Careful where your walking there, little sister" Nicholas said smirking down at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Nick. I was thinking about something." Melanie replied, looking up at him with the eyes she had inherited from their mother.

"I can see that. Anything wrong?"

Melanie's expression changed from the sheepish look she had sported after running in to Nicholas to one of somber, determination. "We need to set sail as soon as possible." She said as calmly as she could. Nick had teased her about being to dramatic.

"What? Why?" Nick said in surprise. "You love London."

"I do love London, but we both knew we weren't staying here, so we should move on."

Nick narrowed his own green eyes as he looked as his sister who was avoiding his gaze. Their mother did that when she didn't want to tell them something. "What are you hiding from me, Mel?"

"What makes you think I'm hiding something?" Melanie's tone was defiant.

"Because you have the same habit mom does, when she doesn't want to tell someone something. You won't look me in the eye. So what is it? Why the sudden urge to leave?"

Melanie had not wanted to tell Nick about Bo, because Nick was still very angry at Bo for hurting their mother and she didn't want an altercation, as that would upset their mom, but she knew he wouldn't let it go either.

"Before I tell you, you have to promise me you will stay calm and not do anything, Nick."

"What are you talking about? Why wouldn't I be calm? What will I want to do?" Nick quickly fired his questions at his sister.

"I'm not telling you anything until you promise me you won't do anything!" Melanie's face was set in stubborn lines.

Nick sighed recognizing the look on his sister's face as it was the same as his mother's when her mind was made up about something. He sighed in resignation. "Fine. I promise I will stay calm and not do anything about whatever it is you are going to tell me."

Melanie looked carefully at her brother before she said slowly, "Bo Brady just sailed in and docked his boat right next to us."

"WHAT?!" Nick yelled furiously, causing his sister to jump in surprise.

"Nick, calm down! You promised!"

"That's before you told me that bastard was here! What if he sees mom? What if he finds out about..."

"That's why I wanted us to leave as soon as possible!" Melanie said loudly, interrupting her brother's rant before he could really get started. "It's also why I wanted you to promise not to do anything, because if you go beat the crap out of Bo, like I know you want to, it will upset mom."

Nicholas's face was set in rigid, angry lines as he looked at his sister, listening to her. He knew his mother still loved, Bo Brady and if he beat the snot out of him, she would be angry at him. "Fine!" he said angrily. "We will set sail as soon as possible. I want as much distance between mom and that man as possible."

Melanie sighed in relief as he brother stormed away to talk to the captain about leaving earlier than planned. Going to her stateroom and looking out the window, she once again saw Bo's sailboat moored alongside them. However since she was at a different angle, she could see the stern of his boat and her mouth dropped open in shock and disbelief at what Bo had named the little boat. Painted in black lacquer trimmed in gold the words glared up at her in the light from the sinking sun, _**PRINCESS**_ _._


	4. Chapter 3

June 14, 2012 – New York, New York USA

Nicholas walked through the small apartment, shaking his head. He looked over at his mother who had a very serene look on her face as she stared out of the window.

"This is it?" He said, his voice etched with disappointment and disbelief.

"Yes, this is it. What's wrong with it?"

"Mom, it so small!" Nicholas declared looking around again at the tiny living room of the three bedroom apartment.

"It's huge for this city. I don't need anymore room than this." She looked at her son and saw his head shaking. "Not everyone needs to live in a 40 room mansion, Nicholas."

"But mom, you deserve the best!"

"That's very sweet of you, honey, but I think I will be happy here. I'm starting my new life, Nick. A new city, a new home, and hopefully a new job. Maybe I can finally find true happiness."

"I wish you would stay in Europe with me." Nicholas said, his bottom lip poking out slightly.

Carly laughed at the sight of her grown son. "Don't pout. I will come visit as often as I can, and you'll visit me. This is a good thing."

"I'm going to miss you." Nicholas stated quietly. Then he said under his breath, "I wanted to make it up to you."

Carly heard this and looked at him quizzically. "Make what up to me?" When he didn't answer she asked, "Nicholas, what are you talking about?"

"I wanted to make up for the fact that I wasn't there for you. That I let dad turn me against you. That I couldn't protect you."

"Oh, honey! No, don't do that to yourself. None of that was your fault. The blame for everything that happened lays with your father and Vivian."

"And Bo!" Nicholas declared, his voice now laced with Venom.

"No. When it comes to what happened between me and Bo, the fault was mine."

"Mom!"

"It was, Nick. I let myself get involved with him, and I let myself trust him. I've learned from those mistakes."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I have accepted the fact that I'm not meant to have that kind of love."

"Mom..."

"No, it's OK. Really, it is. I've got my children, and soon, my work. I'll make some new friends here, and that will be enough."

"Do you really think that's true, mom?"

Carly sighed and looked back out the window at the bustling street below. "It's going to have to be true."

Nicholas knew not to say anymore on the subject as he watched his mother, her face more apprehensive than it had been a few minutes before. He shook his head one last time and headed off to find the Realtor so he could put in the offer for his mother's new home.

***********************************************************************************

July 26, 2012 – New York City

Carly looked up at the building in front of her and took a deep breath before walking through the automatic doors into the large brightly lit atrium that housed the hospital's lobby. The last several weeks had been hectic for her. Once Nicholas had put an offer in on the apartment she had chosen, things had happened at a rather clipped pace. She assumed that the Alamain name her son sported had sped things up and within the week they had signed the papers and the place had become hers. Since then she had been busy getting settled, and trying to get used to living in a city of over 8 million people. She had researched the hospitals in the city, looking for one that would be a good fit for her. Now here she was, interviewing for a position at one of the most prestigious hospitals in the country.

Taking another deep breath Carly stepped up to the information desk just as a young woman finished a phone call.

"Hello, may I help you?"

"Yes, I am looking for Dr. Murphy's office."

The young woman couldn't conceal her surprise. Not many people walked in looking for the Chief of Staff's office. The people he generally saw knew exactly where his office was located.

"Certainly. Dr Murphy's Office is located on the 8th floor of the south wing." She pointed to a hallway on her left as she continued, "Follow the hallway until you come to

a bank of elevators. Take the middle one as it is the only one that goes to that floor and when you get off on the 8th floor take a right down that hallway. At the end you will see another desk. That's Dr. Murphy's secretary and she will let him know you are here." The young woman smiled at Carly.

"Thank you," Carly looked at the girl's name tag, "Sarah."

"You're welcome."

Carly headed to the left down the hallway, really wishing she could take the stairs instead. She was still not fond of elevators. She found the elevator bank and got on the middle one, not seeing the man who got on with her. His dark eyes watched her curiously as he saw she was going to the administrative floor. She paid him no mind, preoccupied with making a good impression. She stepped out on the 8th floor and turned right as instructed, not noticing the man from the elevator following her. She walked down the hallway quickly. At the end of the hall she found herself in what would have looked like a hospital ward if it had patient rooms and a nurses desk. Instead there were offices and as she stopped at the desk she was told she would find she saw the office directly behind it had a gold name plate showing that she had found the office she was looking for.

"Hello," Carly said before the woman at the desk could speak. "I'm here to see Dr. Murphy."

"Do you have an appointment?" the secretary asked with a distinct tone of voice that suggested she was not pleased that she had been interrupted.

"Yes, Dr. Murphy is expecting me. My Name is Dr. Carly Manning."

The woman at the desk raised her eyebrow at Carly. She had made no such appointment for the chief of staff, so she did not believe that he was expecting this woman.

"Wait here and I will let him know you have arrived." She got up from her desk and walked through the office door, barely pausing long enough to tap on the door before she entered. A moment later she returned, the sour look on her face suggesting that she had been informed of the meeting. "This way please."

Carly followed her into the office. Inside a genial looking man stood as she entered. He was balding, with a graying beard. A pair of glasses covered kind eyes and his suit fit him well despite a slightly rotund middle.

"Please sit down, Dr. Manning." He said, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk.. His voice was mellow and warm. "That will be all Sharon." The secretary left without saying anything.

"Thank You for meeting with me Dr. Murphy."

"No need to thank me. It is part of my job to interview those who wish to work in the hospital."

"Still, thank you for your time."

Dr Murphy smiled. "Well then, let's get to business shall we. Tell me Dr. Manning, why do you want to work at this hospital and why should I hire you.

Carly took a deep breath before speaking. "I have done quite a lot of research into the hospitals in the city. This one has a reputation for the most cutting edge research and technology available. I believe that in order to help people better that doctors must continually learn new techniques and procedures and your hospital is known for innovation in every field. That's why I want to work here. I have always wanted to help people. And I think that this hospital will allow me to do that to the fullest. Why should you hire me? I'm good at what I do. I work hard for my patients and my coworkers. I don't expect you to take my word for it. I know you will have me checked out, but know that if you hire me, you won't regret it."

"And if I have you checked out, as you say, what will I find? What would I hear from your former coworkers, or boss?"

"Well that's a bit of a loaded question. It would depends on who you ask." Carly smiled ruefully at him.

"Meaning?"

"There are things you need to know, and I am more than willing to tell you, but I need assurances that it would be kept confidential."

Dr. Murphy studied Carly's face, taking in the serious expression and the the somewhat haunted, wary look in her eyes and nodded. "You have my word, anything you tell me will stay confidential."

Carly took a deep breath and lowered her eyes, not looking at the man across from her as she spoke. "My life has been very complicated, and difficult in the past. I have dealt with things that most people can not even fathom, and unfortunately I wasn't able to handle all of the things life threw at me." her voice broke a little as she talked. "I turned to drugs to cope." She hung her head in shame, and her shoulders slumped as she realized that with her past she wouldn't be allowed to work again. "I'm sorry I wasted your time, Dr. Murphy. I'll find my way out. Thank You for seeing me."

"Dr. Manning, please wait." He said as she stood up, preparing to leave. "You haven't wasted my time. We still have much to discuss. Please sit."

Carly sat back down, still not looking at him.

"Please, look at me." Her eyes rose to meet his. The kindness in the man's gaze nearly brought her to tears, but she managed to keep her emotions in check as he continued to talk. "I would like to hear more about your life, the difficulties you have experienced, and the drugs."

Carly realized he wasn't judging her as he said this, and hoped that maybe he was open-minded enough to not to hold her weakness against her. But before she could begin to tell him her long, complicated life story, he spoke again. "Dr. Manning, are you hungry?" She just looked at him in confusion. "It's lunch time," he stated simply, "and I am starving. Why don't you join me for lunch and we can discuss this further." She simply nodded, accepting his invitation. They both stood and walked from the office. "Sharon, Dr. Manning and I are going to lunch. If anyone decides they need something tell them I will get back to them later today."

"Yes, sir." The secretary replied, shooting a disapproving look at Carly.

The two doctors made their way out of the hospital, and down the street to a small cafe with an outdoor seating area. They chose a table on the patio as far away from the other patrons as they could so they could talk privately. The server quickly came and took their orders. After he returned with their drinks, Dr Murphy spoke. "Alright Dr. Manning, please tell me your story."

"Please, call me Carly." The other doctor nodded telling her he would call her by her chosen name.

"Before I begin, Dr. Murphy..."

He interrupted her. "Stop being so formal and call me Dennis." He said with a smile.

"OK, Dennis. Before I begin, I need to warn you. Telling my story will be difficult, so bear with me if I get emotional."

"No problem Carly." He gave her a warm, encouraging smile, trying to put her at ease.

"OK. Thank You." She took a deep breath and began her story. "I suppose I should start with my birth. I was the first child and only daughter of Henri and Sophia Von Leuschner. Have you ever heard of them?" Dennis Murphy shook his head, briefly wondering where the name Manning had come from. "I'm surprised, but it doesn't really matter. They named me Katerina." She saw him open his mouth to ask about her name and held up her hand to stop him. "I will get to that," she said.

"On the day I was born, my father made a deal with a man by the name of Leopold Alamain. This deal is what set everything in my life in motion." Seeing his questioning gaze, she continued. "By the time I was six hours old, I was engaged to be married." She saw the look of shock on his face and gave him a sardonic smile. "Bet that's not something you usually hear. My father agreed that I would marry Leopold's son, Lawrence, on my 25th birthday. When the marriage took place the deal would be complete and my new husband would be given 75 percent of my father's assets and controlling interest in his business ventures. Until then, my father received a healthy annual dividend from the Alamain corporation, ensuring that he made a hefty profit each year. In other words, my father sold me." Dennis looked at her sympathetically, wondering how a father could do that to his daughter.

"My parents were not warm and caring people. They were cold and distant. My younger Brother and I were raised by nannies and governesses until we were old enough to be sent to boarding school. As far as my parents were concerned, my brother was there to carry on the family name, and I was there to marry the man my father chose in order to bring him more wealth and power. When I was 11 he sent me to a boarding school in Switzerland." She paused as the server brought their food, and took a long sip of her iced tea. She waited for the server to move away from their table before continuing.

"Most kids don't generally want to go to boarding school, but for me it was freedom. I didn't have servants watching my every move, reporting back to my father. I had friends for the first time in my life. So many people hear who my parents were and say 'oh, poor little rich girl. It must have been so hard to be able to have anything you wanted.' What they never saw was lonely children who were unloved. Anyway, I loved boarding school and I excelled in my school work. When I was 16 the Headmaster called me into his office and told me that at the end of the term, I would be going back to my parent's estate and I wouldn't return. It seems I had taken and completed every class the school offered so I would be given my certificate of completion and sent back to my parents. That's when I decided to run away." Carly looked up from the salad she was picking at and saw the rapt attention Dennis was giving her.

"I knew that if I went back to my parent's estate, that I would be held there until it was time to marry Lawrence. I had already decided that I would never marry a man that I didn't love, much less one I had never met." She saw surprise play across the other doctor's feature at that comment and continued confirming the question he had formed in his mind. "That's right, I had never met him and wasn't supposed to until my wedding. But I wasn't going to play the meek obedient daughter and do what my parents wanted.

Instead I talked my headmaster into giving me my, what is it called here...my diploma a couple of weeks early. Once he gave it to me, I had my best friend cover for me, and I ran away from school. I had money that my parents had sent me over the years to buy the things I wanted. I saved it for the time when I would eventually have to run from them. I made my way to Paris. At the time I really had no plan, I just knew I had to not get caught. Then I met someone. His name was James and he was handsome, smart, kind, and altogether wonderful. I fell head over heels in love with him. We were together for about a year and were engaged when I found out that he had been lying to me from the moment we met." She looked back up at Dennis who had been listening intently. He raised his eyebrows, asking a silent question.

"Nothing I knew about him was true. Not even his name." Carly said very quietly. She took another drink of her tea before continuing. "I found out that he was the very person I was running from. He was Lawrence Alamain. He had tracked me after I ran away and when we met, told me his name was James. I realized he wasn't really any of the things I thought he was. I left him. After that he basically stalked me through Europe. Everywhere I went a messenger would show up with notes from him."

"What did you do?" Dennis asked before he could stop himself.

"I kept running. Eventually I found a place he wouldn't look for me."

"Where was that?"

"A convent in the French countryside. It was there that I found out I was pregnant."

"Wow."

Carly laughed at his reaction. "That wasn't exactly the response I had."

"Where you scared?"

"Terrified." Carly said, nodding. "I was 17, alone and pregnant with the child of man I despised. I considered not having the baby, but even at that age, I knew I could never end my pregnancy."

"What did you do?"

"Since I couldn't stay at the convent, I went to a woman I thought was my friend. She was the one who told me the truth about the man I knew as James. She agreed to let me stay with her and keep him from finding out I was there."

"Then what?" Dennis was hooked on her story.

Carly looked down before speaking again. "I began to have complications. Bleeding and early contractions. The doctor that Vivian found helped stop them for a while. But when I was about 7 months along I went into labor and it couldn't be stopped." A tear slid down Carly's cheek at the painful memory.

"What happened? Was the baby OK?"

Carly sat quietly for a moment trying to reign in her emotions. Thankfully the server came to check on them at that moment and once he had come and gone, Carly had taken a deep breath and was able to continue.

"The doctor gave me a sedative, so I was unconscious when he was born. When I woke up they told me that he had been born with water on the brain and had only lived for about an hour. I never got to see him." Silent tears slid down Carly's cheeks.

"I'm so sorry Carly. I can't even imagine how hard that was."

"The pain of losing a child is something I wouldn't wish on anyone."

"How did you handle it?"

"I didn't." Carly looked up at Dennis. He had a perplexed expression as he waited for her to elaborate. "I became septic almost immediately after I gave birth. I was in and out of consciousness for a few weeks as the doctor tried to just keep me alive. In the few lucid moments I had, I wished he would just let me die." Dennis looked shocked at her admission as she continued her story. "I was sick for a long time. It took me about 3 months before I could get around again. That's when I decided to become a doctor. I wanted to know why I lost my baby and why I got so sick, and I wanted to learn how to stop it from happening to someone else. But by focusing on my studies and putting myself through college and medical school, I didn't deal with the feelings I had about losing my son. I just pushed them aside or stuffed them down for a very long time."

"Did you ever really deal with your loss?"

"Yes, years later when I was more stable and had someone in my life who could support me."

"That's a good thing." Dennis looked down at the table as the server headed back towards their table. "You haven't touched your lunch."

"I'm not very hungry. I tend to lose my appetite when I think about or talk about the things that have happened in my life."

"Well why don't we have the server box it to go, and you can eat it later." He signaled to the young man standing discreetly near them, waiting to see what his patrons needed. He quickly took Carly's plate and the credit card Dennis had set out. "Why don't we suspend this conversation until we get back to my office." Carly nodded as she saw the server returning with Dr. Murphy's credit card and her salad, boxed, and in a bag to make it easier to carry. He signed the credit slip, leaving a generous tip, and they stood and made their way back to his office to continue what he knew was going to be a very long story.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

July 26, 2012 – New York City (Continued)

Carly went to sit back in the chair next to Dr. Dennis Murphy's desk when he spoke. "Why don't we sit on the couch, Carly. It's more comfortable, and something tells me you have a lot more to tell me." Carly nodded silently and moved across the room to sit on the overstuffed leather sofa. "Would you like anything Carly? Water, coffee, or tea?"

"Water would be great, thank you."

He walked over to his desk, pushed a button on his desk phone, and spoke. "Sharon, could you bring in two bottles of water please."

A moment later the secretary came into the office with the requested beverages. She handed them to her boss and shot another look of disapproval at Carly.

Carly just smirked back at the woman and raised her eyebrow.

"Sharon, hold my calls. Dr. Manning and I have more business to discuss." Dr Murphy said, entertained at the non-verbal communication between the two women. Sharon pursed her lips, nodded and left the room.

"She seems to disapprove of me." Carly said lightly.

"She's set in her ways, and thinks she should set all of my appointments and control who comes and goes in my office." Dennis replied with a gentle tone. "Don't let it bother you."

"Oh, it doesn't." Carly said with a slight smile. "It kind of amuses me."

"Good, I'm glad it doesn't bother you. But we have other things to discuss, don't we?"

The smirk slid off Carly's face and she gave a resigned nod. She waited until the other doctor removed his jacket and made his way over to sit on the couch with her. Then she began to speak.

"Where to continue?" She muttered, not realizing Dennis could hear her.

"Why don't you tell me about, the man who helped you deal with the loss of your son?" Dennis asked, thing that would be a less difficult and sad topic for her.

Carly considered that for a minute, not looking at the man sitting next to her, but past him.

"Alright, but to tell you about him, I will need to start before I met him." She looked at Dennis, then continued. "Again, it was rather complicated."

He nodded at her, readying himself for what he might hear, never dreaming what was to eventually come.

"I was 24 and living in Tahiti, just finishing my 1st year as an intern, when I met a couple who was on their honeymoon. He has stepped on a sea urchin on the beach, and came into the clinic I was working at." Carly chuckled quietly at the memory. She glanced up at Dennis who was giving her a quizzical look, wondering why that was funny. "He wasn't exactly receptive to being treated by me at the time, thinking that I was a teenage beach bunny who had stolen the white coat." Dennis laughed, thinking that, as she looked no where near the age listed on her application now, she must have looked very young then. Carly continued, "Anyway, after he finally let me treat his foot, we got to talking about the town in the US they were from, and I joked about swapping with them. But when I checked on him later that night, and they asked if I was serious, I actually said yes. And we agreed to a switch. They took my place in Tahiti and I, in turn took their house in Salem."

"Why would you leave Tahiti for a small Midwestern American town?" Dennis asked, incredulous that someone would make that choice.

Carly took sip of water before speaking, "I had to get out of Tahiti. I had word that one of Lawrence's men was looking for me and was heading to the islands, so I needed to get away, and I figured they wouldn't look in Salem of all places." Dennis nodded, so she continued. "I had changed my name to Carly Manning by that point, but I wasn't taking any chances. I had to stay hidden from Lawrence and my father until my 25th birthday had passed. I knew if they found me before then I would be forced to go back and made to marry Lawrence. I also remembered that my best friend from boarding school had come from Salem, and thought that maybe I could reconnect with her. But most of all I was trying to stay one step ahead of Lawrence's goons."

"How could they force you to marry him. You were an adult!" Dennis exclaimed.

"Things were different in my country..." Carly began.

"You're country?" Dennis interrupted, unable to stop himself. This woman and her story so far was fascinating.

"It's a small European Principality encompassed between the borders of Germany, Switzerland, and France. My father was a minor member of the royal family. Not in line to the throne, but royal none the less. The laws concerning women were positively medieval. Women in my country had no choice. They were basically the property of their father until they were married at which time they became the property of their husbands. Marriage was business, and feelings had nothing to do with anything. If I were to be located, I would be abducted and taken back to my father's estate where I would be a prisoner and forced to marry a man I loathed."

Dennis shook his head in sympathy, unable to truly fathom such a thing.

"So, I left Tahiti and went to Salem. I applied to finish my internship at University Hospital and I got involved in the local issues, mostly helping to protest the building of an oil refinery in town." She saw Dennis raise his eyebrows at her and quickly continued. "I firmly believe we should take care of our planet and leave it in better shape than previous generations. And the company that was building the refinery was notorious for cutting corners in every way, causing a lot of damage to the environment. So I joined in trying to stop it." She said almost defiantly, daring him to argue with her on the topic, which he wisely did not do, nodding instead.

"So you got settled in Salem..." he prompted, trying to get back to her riveting story.

"Sorry, yes, I got settled. Made a couple of friends, and reconnected with my best friend, Jennifer. Then one day I was with a group protesting on the pier when I met him." She smiled slightly thinking to their first encounter. Then remembering why he was angry at the time, the small smile slid from her face. "His name was Bo. Bo Brady. He had recently lost his wife and been left to raise their 4 year old son alone. He was very angry at the world and that day he was mad at the noise of the protest. He came up behind me, and grabbed me yelling at me about the noise."

"That sounds..." Dennis trailed off not wanting to say that the man sounded abusive or like a jerk, and unable to think of another way of saying it.

"No!" Carly exclaimed, knowing what he was thinking. "He didn't try to hurt me, and I knew he wasn't a threat. He just grabbed my arm and turned me to face him. Yes, he yelled, and I yelled right back. I didn't know who he was at that moment, or I would not have yelled at him. He was in a lot of pain. And I can remember thinking when he was walking away, that as mad as he was, he was also very handsome."

"So you were instantly interested in him."

A pink tinge appeared on Carly's cheeks as she looked away. "Yes, I was attracted to him. But, I knew that he was mourning his wife and didn't need someone attempting a relationship at that time, and I wasn't interested in complicating my life even more by getting involved with someone, knowing I may have to pick up and leave at any time if I heard that one of my father's or Lawrence's men was close."

"But this is the man who helped you deal with losing your son?"

"Yes, but that didn't happen for a long time. I stayed pretty closed off from people, when it came to discussing my past, and my so-called family. Only two people in town knew who I really was and neither one of them knew the true extent to the reason I was hiding from my parents. Although, Jennifer did find out, even though I asked her to leave it alone. But I'm going to skip some of it, it would take too long to tell you everything. Eventually Bo and I became friends. Then he found out who I really was and became very angry at me for lying to him about it. By that time I had fallen hopelessly in love with him. He had admitted to having feelings for me but pushed me away because I had lied about my true identity and past."

As Carly paused for another sip of water, there was a sharp knock on the door.

"Come in" Dennis called out.

Sharon entered her lips pressed together in a thin line of sever disapproval at the sight of Dr. Murphy and this woman, who she knew nothing about, seated comfortably on his sofa. She notice that Carly had removed her shoes and tucked her legs under her, and that Dennis had removed is coat. She cleared her throat and spoke. "Dr. Murphy, I hate to interrupt your...meeting, but you have had several calls from one of the board members, Dr. Hayward has been asking to speak with you, and you have a staff meeting scheduled in an hour and you haven't prepared for it." As she said this she stared at Carly looking as though she were trying to bore a hole through her. Carly returned her stare with amusement, infuriating the older woman even more.

Dennis sighed and shook his head at his secretary's blatant and irrational dislike of Carly.

"Sharon, you can tell which ever board member that I have been in a meeting and will call him back as soon as I am done. Please reschedule the staff meeting to tomorrow morning at 10. And as for Dr. Hayward, he can wait until I decide I have time to speak with him. And until Dr. Manning and I are done with our meeting, I do not want anymore interruptions." Dennis's voice was firm, but still kind as he said this. Except, Carly noticed, when he spoke of this Dr. Hayward, then his voice became hard and unforgiving, making her wonder what this person had done. It was the same tone Shawn Brady had had when it came to Victor. Carly shuddered at the thought of her ex-husband, a movement that did not go unnoticed by either Dennis or Sharon.

"Please leave us, Sharon." Dennis requested of his secretary. She gave a clipped nod and walked out, shutting the door a little harder than necessary.

"Sorry about that." Dennis said, looking at Carly and deciding not to ask about the tremble he had seen travel over her a moment before.

"It's no problem."

"So what happened after Bo got angry about you hiding who you were?"

Carly took a deep breath, then continued her life story. "He kept giving me mixed signals. One minute he was pushing me away saying he didn't trust me, and the next he would pull me to him and kiss me. I was confused as to where I stood with him. One day I discovered I was being followed and he decided to set a trap to catch whoever it was. This was just after new year's. We let it be known I was going to be out on one of the piers giving medical attention to the homeless, then we took his boat to the lighthouse, on an island in the middle of the river to see who showed up looking for me. But whoever it was showed up on the island, he wanted something, thinking I had it. He and Bo fought and I got caught in the middle and I was stabbed."

"Oh my God!" Dennis exclaimed in shock.

"Bo got me back on the boat and to the hospital. But he pushed me away even more after that. He thought he was protecting me. Of course, I didn't know it then, but he thought that if he got involved with me, I would die like his wife had. So he distanced himself from me, at the same time we couldn't really stay away from each other. It was a big mess. But I finally gave up on him and started seeing someone else. I could never love anyone like I loved Bo, but I couldn't keep letting him hurt me, so I tried to move on. Unfortunately, it was one of the biggest mistakes of my life, until that point. I agreed to marry this other man, even though I knew I didn't love him."

"Did you marry him?"

"Yes, I did. I wish I hadn't. But I did. And my life became even more complicated."

"How so?"

"I was in love with one man, married to another, who happened to be Bo's biological father." She saw the look of shock on Dennis's face but continued so he couldn't ask any questions. "I was never able to give myself to my new husband. And for that I am very grateful, but it made things between me and Bo more tense. My friends tried to be supportive, but I knew none of them liked Victor, so I began to feel as isolated from everyone as I had as a child on my father's estate. Then one day I discover that Victor had intercepted a letter Bo had written me before our wedding, stating that he loved me and wanted to spend his life with me. Victor knew I wouldn't marry him if I got that letter, so he had a forger write a new letter in Bo's handwriting saying he wished me well and hoped Victor would make me happy."

Dennis let out a low whistle of disbelief before asking, "What did you do?"

"I left Victor. He tried to explain himself, but I couldn't forgive his manipulations, and his lies. I went to Bo and told him what happened, but he just pushed me away again."

"Why?"

"I didn't know at the time,I found out a few months later, but Bo was sick and didn't want to burden me."

"What was wrong with him?"

"It was a genetically engineered cross between a virus and a bacteria. So antibiotics and antivirals were useless against it. There was no cure and no treatment. It had an unpredictable incubation period, but when symptoms began to present themselves, the progression of illness was rapid, resulting in coma and death. I was currently researching cures and treatments for it, backed by a wealthy donor who had friends and colleagues that had been infected."

"I remember hearing about that. Early 1990s right?"

"Yes. I had actually had a breakthrough in my lab, and I went to D.C. To meet with some FDA officials, but when I returned, someone had broken into the lab and destroyed everything. I had to start from the beginning. That was the day I found out Bo was sick."

"I'm so sorry."

"I was devastated. I knew if I didn't find something in the remains of my lab, then I would lose Bo. I would lose myself if I lost him. Even though we weren't together at the time, I couldn't bear to think of not having him in my life. I dove into my research. I reduced my patient load until it was almost gone completely and concentrated on taking care of Bo and finding a cure or at least a treatment for this illness. Then he told me that he was sure that Victor had access to a cure. It made sense that whoever had engineered this disease, had to have also manufactured a cure for it as insurance in case they themselves were infected, but I didn't want to believe that Victor would do that. Even though he had lied and manipulated me, I didn't think he would be involved in what amounted to biological warfare."

"I don't blame you."

"I did something Bo asked me not to do. I went to Victor and asked him about a cure. He said he may be able to get it, but he wanted something from me in return."

"Wait, he didn't get it to save his son's life?"

"Victor never did anything for anyone, unless it benefited him. That hasn't changed to this day. He used his son's life as a bargaining chip."

"What did he want?"

"Me. He would get the cure to save his only son's life, but only if I returned to him as his wife."

"You didn't agree to that?" Dennis was shocked that this man would be willing to let his son die of Carly didn't come back to him.

"Yes, I did." She saw the stunned look on Dennis's face and continued. "I loved Bo that much. I was willing to say and do anything if it meant saving his life. In the end, Victor got the cure, but it was only a temporary treatment."

"Meaning?"

"It was missing a key element that would completely and permanently reverse the effects of this illness. I worked through most of the night with a friend of mine on finding the missing element and when we thought we had it, I made one of the most terrifying decisions I had ever had to make as both a woman and a doctor. I gave the mixture to Bo and had to hope it worked or he would die."

"That was quite a risk. You could have lost your medical license."

"I knew that, and I honestly didn't care, if it meant keeping him alive."

"You really loved him."

"More than my own life."

"Did the treatment work?"

"Yes. It finally bean to work. He had to stay in the hospital for a while and receive a series of injections, but he got better. Then he figured out that I was keeping him in the hospital and wanted to know why. I had to tell him about the deal I made with Victor, to be his wife."

"What did he do?"

"He had an idea that something was up, so he wasn't surprised, but he was upset and refused to let it happen. He wanted a life with me and talked me into filing for an annulment. Then things got really complicated and dramatic."

"More dramatic? Is that possible?"

Carly laughed before nodding and saying, "Very possible. Victor refused to accept an annulment and did everything to keep Bo and I apart."

"Like what?"

"What didn't he do? When I told him I filed, he threatened to kill Bo if I pursued a relationship with him, he had me followed all the time, even though we couldn't prove it he burned down the houseboat Bo and his son lived on. When Bo found out Victor was spying on me he confronted him and Victor had Bo charged with felony assault, and tried to have him put in prison. The night before jury selection was to start Bo and I went out on a date and Victor used that as a chance to pay off the baby sitter and take Bo's son, to scare us. The next day jury selection started and we caught Victor trying to bribe the jury to make sure Bo went to prison for 10 years."

"The man sounds awful."

"That's a very nice way of putting it. Finally Victor completely lost it and rigged an elevator to fall with Bo inside. Except I was in the elevator when the cables that he had tampered with snapped. The elevator fell 10 stories."

"Oh my God!" Dennis exclaimed in horror. "What happened?"

"I was slowly pulled out and taken to the hospital in critical condition, I had a broken rib that had punctured my pericardial sack." Dennis gasped audibly, knowing it was a miracle that Carly was alive. "They operated to fix the damage. I barely made it through that surgery. I was in grave condition by that point. My doctors were afraid I had an embolism but knew I wouldn't make it through another surgery. Then Bo reminded me I had reasons to fight, and get better. Even still I was in the hospital for about 2 months. Ever since then my body has had trouble regulating my blood pressure, but I manage well with medications and try to keep my stress level down, but it's been difficult."

"Then what happened?" Dennis asked, unable to believe the things Carly had been through as a younger woman.

"Then Victor, realizing that I would never come back to him no matter what he did, fake his own death and framed me for his murder."

"What?!"

"Yeah," Carly said ruefully. "We found him hiding out in Mexico. After that I moved in with Bo and his son, Shawn-Douglas. Then Lawrence decided that he would try and cause trouble. We were still dealing with Victor, it was everything I could do to stop Bo from beating the living daylights out of Lawrence." She saw a surprised and questioning look form on Dennis's face. "Lawrence came to town shortly after Bo and everyone else found out who I really was. Bo and Lawrence were never really able to even be civil to each other, or they barely managed if they had witnesses. And Bo had a temper back then, especially when it came to defending and protecting the people he loved."

"Anyway right after New Years Day, Bo asked me to marry him. My annulment from Victor was finalized and I said yes. Lawrence began sending me things to remind me of the time he and I were together, when I thought he was James. Then on the night of my bridal shower, Bo was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?"

"Yeah. Bo's brother was a cop and he had been after a family of drug smugglers and dealers, and to teach him a lesson they took Bo, to make him back off. They should have done more research on the Brady brothers though. It took a couple of months but Roman found Bo and they took down the family. During the time Bo was missing, his sister Isabella and I were out looking for him and got caught in a snowstorm were she went into premature labor. I broke into a little clinic in a small town up in the mountains that we were near and managed to stop her labor but it brought up the memories of me going into labor early. After that I began to have nightmares, and just couldn't manage to completely stuff down the pain and memories anymore. When I got Bo back, I told him about my son, and he helped me say goodbye to him. Had me name him, and we had our own private little memorial for him. It helped a lot."

"I'm glad he was able to help. I can't imagine the pain of losing one of my children."

"It's something I would't wish on anyone."

"So then you and Bo got married? It seems so much happened."

"A lot did happen. We set a new wedding date, then we found out that the woman I had trusted to help me when I was pregnant, Vivian, had not been the friend I thought she was."

"How so?"

"I left out the part where Vivian was Lawrence's aunt didn't I?"

"Yes you did." He said in surprise.

"Well, she is. But I was young and naive and thought she was such a nice person who just wanted to help. I was so wrong."

"What did she do?"

"She paid the doctor who took care of me when I was pregnant to sedate me when I was in labor, and to tell me my baby died."

Dennis listened in shock, but knew it was true by the shadow of rage the passed over Carly's pretty features. "So the baby...?"

"He was born healthy, and Vivian kept him to raise herself."

"That's horrible!"

"Yeah. I'm afraid I am going to have to skip over some things if we are going to finish up today." Carly said glancing at her watch.

"OK. This is your story, whatever you want to share I will listen to, but it's up to you."

"Thank You, let's see, condensed version, we looked for my son, I found him but didn't tell Bo. He found out in the middle of our wedding which ended it right then and we separated for a few months. He finally forgave me and we got back together but we fought more often. We tried so hard to make it work and then Vivian happened again."

"What did she do?"

"She resented the fact that my son was accepting me as his mother, which believe me took time and work, and she pulled a lot of stuff, but it culminated in her killing my patients to make it look like I was euthanizing them. Then one night I walked in on her about to kill Bo's mother. We struggled and she injected me with a lot of morphine. I am very sensitive to opiates, and the dosage she gave me put me in a coma. She then gave me some weird Asian herbs that slowly shut down my system making it look as though I was dead. And she had me buried alive in a coffin she commissioned with an oxygen tank and a two way radio so she could taunt me."

"OK you're pulling my leg now, right?" Dennis said looking incredulous.

"I'm afraid not. I woke up in the coffin, as she made me listen to Bo and our sons mourn me."

Dennis couldn't say anything, he just shuddered at the thought. After composing himself he spoke quietly, "Forgive me for saying this Carly, but this sounds like your reciting a story from a soap opera."

Carly laughed at the very apt assessment of the ordeals she had lived through. "No forgiveness needed. That's a very appropriate description. Maybe I should write it down and sell it as a Soap opera."

Dennis smiled and marveled at how she could laugh at the things that had been done to her. "I'm glad you seem to have some sort of sense of humor after all you went through."

"If I didn't I would have gone insane or killed myself. I'm nothing if not a survivor."

Dennis agreed with her. He nodded asking, "What happened next, you obviously got out of the coffin."

"I guess after a while Vivian had some attack of humanity and told Lawrence what she had done. He and his butler dug me out. I was unconscious for a couple of weeks. They kept me hidden at his house and had me treated in secret by an herbalist who could reverse the effects of whatever Vivian had given me to begin with. But when I woke up, I had lost several years of my life."

Dennis looked confused.

"When I woke up, I thought I was Katerina Von Leuschner. I was 17 years old and engaged to James whom I loved very much. I knew nothing of my child, being a doctor, my new name, or my new love." Carly clarified.

"You had amnesia?"

"Yes. Brought on by the herbs and the trauma of being buried alive."

"But you seem to have your memory back."

"I did get it back, but not before Lawrence used it to his advantage. He used it as an opportunity to rewrite history and tell me himself who he was. He was not James, but Lawrence who just wanted a chance to know me. He earned my forgiveness. When I saw my son again, my memory came back fully, all at once, but I was different. I went to Bo and we tried to see if the spark was there, but even though it was there, it had been dulled and my lingering feelings for Lawrence seemed to be in our way. So we made the mutual decision to end our relationship. I returned his engagement ring, said goodbye, and left town with Lawrence and our son. We married a few months later."

"Wow, that's some story. But it's not the end is it?"

"No," Carly said shaking her head, "it isn't. I can safely say walking away from Bo was probably one of the biggest mistakes of my life. It ranks right up there with trusting Vivian and Marrying Victor."

"Why?" Dennis asked, his voice cautious and wary. He sensed this part of her story would not be anymore pleasant the the rest of it had been.

"A month or so after we got married, Lawrence got sick. Some virus that attacked his brain. He recovered but he was different. He was angry, paranoid, irrational, and then he became violent."

"He abused you?"

"Yes, he did. I'm not up to giving you details, but it was nearly 20 years of torture. When he was ill, I went to a conference to consult with some of the neurologists that were there to present papers and I ended up meeting someone and in a moment of weakness, I spent the night with him. I found out later I was pregnant. That set Lawrence off, and I became his prisoner. I was rarely allowed to see my son, who eventually stopped listening to anything I had to say. Lawrence turned him against me. He never knew I was pregnant. Lawrence wouldn't let me see him when I started to show. When my daughter was born, Lawrence took her from me. Forced me to give her up for adoption or he would kill her right there in front of me, so I relented and let him give her away." A tear slid down Carly's cheek as she relived the hell of losing Melanie.

"God, Carly, I'm so sorry."

"It's OK, I've dealt with it. I've got a good therapist who has been wonderful. He's helping me deal with everything I have been through."

"Good."

"Then a couple of years ago, Lawrence announced to me that he was no longer satisfied that I had live my life without my children and that my daughter could no longer continue to live, making him a fool whose wife had cheated on him. He was going to have her killed and there was nothing I could do about it. But I wouldn't let him hurt her. I had lived as a prisoner for so long allowing him to hurt me in every way possible, but I was going to be damned if I let him harm one of my children.. I told him so and he laughed. We began to argue, he started to hit me and I had had enough. I grabbed a dagger off his desk and stabbed him." Carly looked down in shame before continuing. "I killed him. Then I ran."

"Where did you go?" Dennis asked his voice full of sympathy and concern.

Carly looked up into warm, kind eyes that held no sign of disapproval or judgment.

"I made my way back to Salem. I knew that Bo would help me find and protect my daughter. I knew she was in Salem, but that was all I knew. And no matter what, Bo helps people he cares about." Carly looked at her watch again. "To condense the last couple of years, Bo helped me find my daughter. Her name is Melanie and after a very rough start we have a wonderful relationship now. I tried to steer clear of Bo as much as I could in a small town. He was having problems with his wife and everyone was blaming me. But he decided he wanted a relationship with me, and I fell in love with him again. But after a while, his wife got herself into some trouble and when he went to help her, they reconnected. He and I broke up and he went back to her. And I couldn't handle seeing them them together and happy. I had reached my breaking point and started taking a variety of antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, and painkillers trying to numb the pain. There are to many details but I got help, and decided while I was in rehab, that when I was released, I would leave Salem and find somewhere new to live the rest of my life. Without Bo, I really had no reason to stay. My daughter was an adult with her own life and as far as everyone else in town was concerned, I was not welcome. You asked me earlier what my former coworkers and boss would say about me."

Dennis nodded.

"I can't say what my coworkers would say but as for the current chief of staff of that hospital, I know exactly what she would say."

"Which is?"

"She would tell you not to hire me. But her recommendation would not be based on my performance as a doctor, but on her personal dislike for her brother's ex-girlfriend. She's Bo's sister, and she decided that I was the cause of his marital problems and the reason Bo's wife got herself in trouble. She is definitely not a fan of mine."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"That is everything I can tell you right now. I skimmed over some stuff, but I did hit the major points. I'll understand if you don't feel that I would be a good fit for your hospital and want to thank you for your time and for listening to my convoluted story."

Dennis truly felt sympathy for everything Carly had been through and he felt in his gut that she was the doctor he was looking for. He also recognized the self-deprecating way she automatically assumed he wouldn't hire her because of her past, and the way she always looked down as signs she had been abused in the past.

"Carly, I want to thank you for sharing your story with me. It can't have been easy for you. I have been listening to everything you have been through, and I am honestly surprised you aren't in a psychiatric hospital. You are probably one of the strongest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I for one would consider it an honor if you would take the position here." Carly's face took on an expression of utter shock and Dennis continued. "I do have to pass it through the board for approval, and there will need to be an investigation into you're previous work before I can officially offer you the job."

"I understand. Will you send someone to Salem or just call them?"

"We have someone who goes to the hospitals a doctor or nurse has previously worked at to interview the staff and administration."

"Can I ask a favor, then?"

"Certainly."

"When your investigator goes to Salem, could you instruct them not to reveal what hospital they work for. If possible I would appreciate it if they didn't even mention the city or state where the hospital is located."

"That should not be a problem, our investigator is very good and knows how to be discreet. May I ask why you are making this particular request?"

"Vivian is bent on revenge for Lawrence's death. I don't want anyone in Salem to know where I am just in case she has someone lurking around trying to find out. If Victor found out he may tell her out of spite. I have learned to err on the side of caution when it comes to Vivian or the good people of Salem."

"I understand. An I assure you it will not be a problem." He stood up stretching his legs and reached out to help Carly up. "As far as I am concerned you have the job, but I will be in touch shortly once I make sure the board has reached the right decision." he waited until Carly put her shoes back on and walked her out the door to the elevators. Neither of them noticing the same dark haired man who had ridden up with Carly earlier lurking just to the side.

"Thank you for your time Dr. Murphy." Carly said reaching out to shake his hand.

He clasped her hand in both of his and said "It was a pleasure Dr. Manning."

Carly stepped onto the elevator, turned and smiled at Dennis as she pressed the button that would take her to the ground floor, feeling as though, just maybe, things were looking up.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

August 10, 2012 – Salem, USA

Alex McMurtry's blue eyes watched thoughtfully as the doctor's and nurses of Salem University Hospital hurried through it's hallways, wards, and offices. She had an appointment with the hospital's chief of staff in a few hours, but she always liked to observe and speak to some of the hospital staff before she spoke to the administration. She often found that the people who worked together on a daily basis had the measure of one another far better than the management did. She was an investigator for Hamilton Memorial Hospital in New York City. Her job was to dig into the past work history of those applying to take charge of the lives inside the walls of the institution she worked for. And she took her job very seriously. Catching sight of a couple of nurses chatting at the counter of the nurses station in the center of the floor the were on, she walked over deciding they would be a good place to start.

"Excuse me," Alex said to the women, garnering their attention.

"Can I help you?" A plump black nurse asked. She was the older of the two women, and seemed to be in charge. Her name tag read Maxine.

"Yes. My name is Alex McMurtry. I'm here to speak to the staff regarding a doctor who has applied to work for the hospital I work for. May I ask you some questions?"

"What hospital do you work for and what doctor are you asking about?" Maxine replied.

"I'm here to investigate the work history of Dr. Carly Manning." Alex said, purposely not answering the first half of the nurse's question. She noticed the younger nurse narrow her eyes at the mention of the doctor's name, but the young woman said nothing to Alex.

Maxine pursed her lips in disapproval at the woman asking about Carly Manning. She had been very fond of Carly and didn't want someone sticking their nose into her past. Especially sing the woman had not answered her query about the hospital she supposedly worked for.

"I'm not here to hurt her." Alex stated, correctly interpreting the look Maxine had given her.

"Then why did you ignore my question about the hospital you work at." Maxine asked, her tone cool and less than welcoming. The young woman next to her shifted slightly, but kept her silence.

"Because Dr. Manning requested that information not be revealed. She asked the chief of staff that no mention is made of the hospital's name, the city or even the state it is in. It's seems she doesn't want people here knowing where she is." Alex raised an eyebrow at the two nurses, noticing that the younger woman seemed to be contemplating what she said.

"I think," The young woman said slowly as she tucked a lock of her strawberry blond hair behind her ear, "that we should go talk about this in private." She looked at Maxine who nodded.

Alex was surprised that the older woman had complied to the younger woman's quiet demand. She looked at the young woman's name tag, making note of the name Melanie, and vowing to ask around about this unusual dynamic.

Maxine quickly found someone to man the nurses station and motioned to Melanie to lead the way. She had acquiesced to the younger woman, but only because Carly was her mother.

Without a word, Melanie led Maxine and Alex down the hallway to an office door. Alex saw the brass name plate on the door as Melanie knocked. Someone called out for them to enter and Melanie opened the door leading the other two women in. Dr. Daniel Jonas looked up from his paperwork as his daughter entered his office followed by Maxine and a woman he didn't know.

"Hey, Mel." He said looking curiously at the blonde who was standing just inside his office door. Her blue eyes observed him, mirroring his inquisitive stare. "What's going on?"

"We needed to talk in a more private place than the nurse's station. You don't mind do you?"

"Of course not. Would you like me to step out?" Alex was now fully perplexed. First the charge nurse yielded to the younger woman and now a doctor was accommodating her by offering to leave his office so they could use it. What did she have on them to get them to bend to her will?

"No. I'd actually like for you to stay."

"OK. So what is going on? Who's your friend?" He smiled at the blonde.

"Alex McMurtry meet Dr. Daniel Jonas." Melanie said, her voice toneless.

"Please to meet you, Dr. Jonas." Alex said politely.

"Likewise." Daniel replied. "So, what is going on?" He asked again.

"Ms. McMurtry is here to asking questions about Carly Manning." Melanie said, her tone making it clear to Daniel and Maxine they shouldn't let this woman know that Carly was her mother.

Daniel looked surprised at Melanie's statement and turned towards Alex with raised eyebrows, his arms folded across his chest. His expression changed from pleasant and welcoming to cold and belligerent. Melanie walked over and shut the office door.

"There's no need to be defensive or to look so unfriendly. I'm just here to do my job." Alex said looking uncomfortable. She had only been told that she was not to reveal even the state that the hospital was in, so she hadn't expected such hostility. She had never had people react to her investigations in such a way before.

"Why are you asking questions about Carly?" Daniel asked aggressively. "Who are you? Who do you work for?"

Alex stepped back in surprise at how argumentative he had gotten, her back hitting the closed office door. Daniel immediately felt guilty that he may have scared her.

"I'm sorry if I startled or frightened you, but you shouldn't be asking questions about Carly." Daniel said, his face softening up a bit but still resolute.

"But it's my job to ask questions about her."

"Your job?" Daniel asked. Alex nodded. "And to whom do you report?"

"She won't tell us." Melanie interjected.

Daniel, Melanie, and Maxine looked at Alex, who shifted uncomfortably under their combined glares.

"I was instructed not to disclose that information. It was a request of Dr. Manning's when she interviewed for the job at the hospital I work for."

"You're here because she applied for a job?" Daniel asked.

"Yes." Alex nodded. "It's the policy of our hospital to have someone, in this case me, go to any previous hospitals a doctor has worked at and interview the staff and administration."

"Do you mind if I verify that?" Melanie said suddenly. She was tired and ready to go home and she wanted to stop this from becoming a merry-go-round of questions that no one would answer.

"How do you propose to do that when I won't tell you where I'm from or where I work?" Alex asked, gazing curiously at Melanie.

"Easy enough." Melanie smirked, pulling her cell phone from her pocket. "I'll just call Carly." She unlocked her phone and opened the speed dial and hit the number 1 before putting the phone to her ear.

"Hi sweetheart." Carly's voice said into her ear, bringing an instant smile to her face.

"Hi. How are you today."

"I'm good, honey. How are you today? You sound tired."

"I am. It's been a long day. I can't wait to go home." Melanie sighed.

"If you aren't at home where are you?" Carly asked inquisitively.

"I'm still at the hospital. I was going to call you when I got home like I usually do, but something came up and I needed to talk to you about it." Melanie said then hurriedly added, " Don't worry. I'm in Daniel's office. Only he, Maxine and the reason I am calling can hear me."

"What is is?" Carly's voice had gone from curiosity to trepidation.

"There's a woman here, asking questions about you. She says she works for a hospital you applied to."

"That's possible sweetheart. The chief of staff at the hospital did tell me he would send an investigator to question my former coworkers and boss."

Melanie groaned at the thought of a potential employer talking to Kayla Johnson about her mother.

"I know, honey. But I did warn him about Kayla, but it wouldn't hurt if the few people on my side confirmed that what she has to say is all based on her irrational, personal hatred of me, and not of my work as a doctor."

"That's won't be hard, everyone knows all about that. So we should talk to her? She won't tell anyone what hospital she works for, so how can we prove that is where she's from?"

"That's a good question, Mel. I'm not sure. I can tell you that I applied at Hamilton Memorial, but since I asked that the investigator not say where they were from, I don't know how to confirm that this woman works for them."

"I'm sure she can figure out some way of verifying who she is." Melanie said looking Alex straight in the eye as she spoke. "If not then not only are The three of us in the room not going to say anything but I will spread the word to the rest of the staff not to speak to her." Alex rolled her eyes at this statement, thinking how unreasonable the few people she had met were being.

"Unfortunately for me, that means the only thing she will hear about me will be from Kayla." Carly said, frowning.

"I know, but I don't trust that she doesn't work for Vivian." Melanie narrowed her green eyes at Alex, who looked confused. "Let me let you go, for now. I'll deal with this and call you back when I get home."

"OK. Be careful going home if you're tired."

"I will. I'll talk to you in a little while?"

"A phone date with my beautiful daughter. I couldn't think of a better way to spend the evening. I'll talk to you later."

"OK, bye."

"Bye, honey." Melanie put her phone back in her pocket once the call had disconnected, and looked up at the other the people in the room. All of them looked back at her.

"Alright." Melanie said looking at Alex again. "How do you propose to convince the three of us that you are who you say, and that we should answer you questions about Carly."

"I don't think I have to." Alex replied, coolly. "I can just got ask other members of the staff. I'm sure someone will talk with me."

"Not if we tell them not too. And I will call security and have to removed from this hospital if you try." Melanie stated, her tone matching the one Alex had used. She wasn't going to let anyone hurt her mother again. "So you need to figure out a way to persuade us, because the only way I let you leave this room without a security guard on either side of you is if you satisfy our demands of knowing who you are."

Alex was at a loss of what to do. She honestly didn't know how to solve this problem. She was told not to divulge any information that would expose the whereabouts of Carly Manning, but these people wouldn't speak with her if she did. And she had no doubts that this young nurse meant what she said about having her thrown out. She needed to speak with Dr. Murphy. "May I make a phone call?"

Melanie looked at Daniel and Maxine before nodding.

Alex pulled out her cell phone and dialed Dennis Murphy's private office number, hoping he would answer.

"Hello." Dr. Murphy's mellow, calm voice said.

"It's Alex McMurtry, sir."

"Yes, Ms. McMurtry. What can I do for you today."

"Well, sir, I am at Salem University Hospital and we have a small issue."

"Issue? What issue?" Dennis's voice was now concerned. He was hoping nothing had come up to stop the appointment of Dr Manning to his staff.

"I am currently in an office with one of the doctors and a couple of nurses who not only refuse to answer any questions about Dr. Manning, but have said that if I can't convince them that I work for a hospital trying to offer her a job, they are going to call security and have me forcibly removed."

"Oh dear. I'm afraid I can't take away the restrictions about our location."

"Well one of the nurses seems to think I may be working for someone named Vivian. Do you know who that is?"

"I'm afraid I do." Dennis said quietly. "I'd like to speak with that nurse?"

"He would like to speak to you." Alex said to Melanie, holding out her phone. Melanie reach out and took the phone from her.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Hello. My name is Dr. Dennis Murphy. May I ask your name?"

"Melanie." She replied. He sounded pleasant enough, but that could be deceiving.

"Melanie? As in Carly's daughter?" Dennis asked, thinking that now it made sense that she wouldn't want to answer a strangers questions about Carly. And why she thought that the horrible woman Carly had mentioned could be behind the questions.

"How did you know that?" Melanie asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

"Carly told me about you in her interview. I think it is safe to ask if Carly mentioned the name of the hospital that she applied at?"

"Yes" was the short answer. Melanie wasn't about to offer information.

"Then can this be resolved by me confirming the name of the hospital and vouching for Ms. McMurtry's employment with us?"

Melanie hesitated. She didn't see how he could know the name of the hospital she applied at unless he worked there.

"Before you do, what is your position at that hospital?"

"I'm the chief of staff."

"Oh. OK, if you can tell me the name of the hospital, including the city it's located in, I'll take you word for it that she works for you. And I won't stop anyone from answering her questions. First, let me ask you one more thing though."

"Sure. Ask away."

"What are you instruction for Ms. McMurtry regarding the chief of staff of this hospital?"

"I didn't give her any instructions about your chief of staff." Dennis said.

"Why not?" Melanie asked, her voice stony.

"Because, even though Ms. McMurtry goes to the hospitals and interviews the staff and administration, I am the one who reads her notes and makes the decisions. So it isn't up to her to do anything more than ask questions and write down the answers. And she will request employment records."

"I see." was the curt reply. "OK, so if you can verify the information, I won't call security on your investigator."

"Wonderful." Dennis said cheerfully. "I am the chief of staff of Hamilton Memorial Hospital, in the borough of Manhattan, in the great city of New York, New York."

"Alright then, Thank you Dr. Murphy." With that Melanie handed Alex her cell phone back. As Alex thanked Dr. Murphy, Melanie turned to address Daniel and Maxine. "She's legit. Answer her questions." Melanie then lowered her voice so Alex couldn't hear her as she finished her call. "Be sure to let her know that any answers she gets from our so-called chief of staff will probably be very negative due to her personal hatred of my mom." Daniel and Maxine nodded. The three staff members turned to look at Alex as she put her phone away in her handbag. "OK, Ms. McMurtry. Ask us your questions." Melanie said with a sigh, sitting down on the sofa, ready to give her mother the most glowing references the woman would probably ever hear.


End file.
